Baby, You're a Firework
by jieunoh
Summary: Mizutani drags Izumi on the Ferris wheel, but Izumi doesn't seem to want to go. We all know what happens at the top of a Ferris wheel. IZMZ fluff. Slight Tajima/Hanai. Slight AbeMiha. What else would you expect?


A/N: This is an old oneshot that I did a year or so back. Please pardon any...errors. I decided not to proof or rewrite it since I'm working on It's Just... so here you guys go! I hope you like my dumb.

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"I call Hanai!" shouted an overly excited Tajima. Mizutani looked over in time to see the shorter boy jump onto their captain's back. The colorful lights from the rides lit up the cleanup's face so his grin glowed in the darkness.

"Hey!" exclaimed Hanai as he tried to pry the smaller boy off himself "Cut that out!"

"But I'm excited, Azusa!"

Hanai gave him a stern look and replied, "If you don't settle down, I won't go on with you…wait, DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Before anyone could get murdered, Abe moved closer to the two boys, Mihashi close by his side. "Why are you so excited? It's just a Ferris wheel. Actually, it's not even that big," commented Abe as he squinted at the ride, sizing it up in the same way he analyzed opponents in a game.

Tajima flashed him a grin while still clinging to Hanai. "Come on, Abe, think about it! A long, slow ride in a small compartment made for two with no means of escape or distractions. Plus, it's dark out now, and we can watch the fireworks!" Tajima finished by waggling his eyebrows.

Even in the dark of the newly fallen night, Mizutani could just make out the blush that crept onto Abe's face. The catcher cleared his throat and announced, "Mihashi and I won't be going then, now that you put it that way. Seems like too many things could go wron-"

"A-Abe-kun?" Mihashi stuttered quietly, "C-can we please g-go? I-I won't be any trouble!"

Tajima smirked when Abe's blush deepened and he quietly consented to Mihashi's wish. Mizutani could feel a grin spreading across his own face at the sight of Abe getting embarrassed like that. As if he could sense his amusement, Abe met Mizutani's gaze and scowled.

"What are you smiling about, Crap Left?" the catcher growled, "Who are you going with? Let me guess, you're too afraid to go."

Mizutani was about to protest, but Tajima had chosen that moment to drag Mihashi toward the ride, causing Abe to curse and quickly storm after them.

Well, Abe was right about one thing: Mizutani needed someone to ride with. He already had someone in mind when he saw Sakaeguchi and Suyama already heading after the other four boys to get in line. On their way, they passed Izumi who was just staring up at the ride before him. The multi-colored lights from the spinning wheel above danced across his face, reminding Mizutani of those kaleidoscopes he used to have when he was younger. He couldn't help but admire how stunning the center fielder looked adorned with the multitude of radiant colors.

"Hey, Izumi!" Mizutani called over to him and grinned, "Need a ride-buddy?"

The freckled boy started and tilted his head to look at his approaching teammate. "I think I'll pass on this one."

"Oh come on!" Mizutani grabbed Izumi's arm and started pulling him toward the line. "You're not scared are you?"

Izumi opened his mouth then snapped it shut, a quick, sharp movement that was followed by a warning glare. But he let Mizutani pull him toward the ride anyway, which meant that Mizutani had won this one._'Typical Izumi,'_ thought Mizutani, but still something seemed off.

He was about to comment, but the worker got his attention and directed them to an open carriage. Mizutani made a theatrical bow and gestured for Izumi to enter first. The latter rolled his big, blue eyes but stepped in anyway. Once his friend was seated, Mizutani clambered inside and plopped down opposite of Izumi. The worker shut the door and locked it shut; the ride started to move soon after that.

Leaning back in his seat, Mizutani stared out the window of the compartment and looked down at the lively amusement park below. For some reason, he had always loved the park at night. There was enough darkness to cast a veil over the faces in the crowd, but the neon lights brought a beautiful balance. The combination of the two extremes changed the world around him, like everything was cast in a supernatural glow.

It was only when the ride jolted to a stop that Mizutani remembered he wasn't alone. He glanced over to see what Izumi was doing and found the other boy staring intently at the floor of the carriage. Cautiously, he waved a hand in front of his face and noted that the space between them was smaller than he expected.

"Hello? Earth the Izumi," Mizutani's voice broke the silence. Izumi looked up and snorted at the goofy grin spread across the other's face before returning his attention the dull metal floor.

Mizutani's grin didn't fade as he poked Izumi's forehead and teased, "Scared, Izumi?"

No response.

Normally, the teasing and the poke would have earned Mizutani a punch or a bout of tickling or at least some scolding, so the lack of a reaction spoke volumes to the left fielder. Something was definitely wrong.

"Izumi," Mizutani dropped the smirk but tapped him on his head again, "you really are afraid, aren't you?"

At first, it was like before: no reply. But then Izumi looked up just enough to glare at Mizutani with those deeply serious eyes.

The smaller boy warned him, "If you tell Hamada or Abe or anyone, I promise you'll wish I had pushed you off this ride right here and now."

Mizutani was ready to reply when the ride lurched forward and began to move again, causing Izumi to resume his staring contest with the floor.

Because he wasn't quite sure of what to say, Mizutani leaned back but kept his eye on his friend. He had to say something, right? A thousand ideas raced through his mind.

_'Why didn't you just stay on the ground?'_ Nope, no good. It seemed kind of insensitive to say.

_'Well, it could be worse.'_ Nah, that always invited misfortune.

_'Are you going to be sick?'_ And what if he said yes?

_'It's not so bad!'_ Insensitive, again.

The ginger looked over Izumi who had now covered his head with his arms. It was weird to see the ordinarily tough and serious Izumi in such a humbling and vulnerable state. Even after that crushing game against Bijou, Mizutani had admired the way that Izumi had carried himself. He had been sad, yes, but he had seemed more frustrated than anything else. His whole being had just seemed to shout, _'I just have to get better. We WILL crush our opponents next year,'_ and for some reason, that seemed to inspire both fear and awe in Mizutani.

Now though, as he focused on Izumi's hunched form, he realized how much smaller Izumi truly was compared to himself. In the enclosed carriage, cut-off from the world, Izumi was showing a completely new side that Mizutani doubted he had shown many others if anyone else at all. He had to admit although it seemed a bit selfish that Izumi's vulnerable side was utterly…cute.

"Mizutani?"

"Yeah?"

Izumi seemed to shrink a little more. "Why aren't we moving?"

Mizutani had been so caught up in his thoughts that he never even realized the ride had come to a stand-still. Because their carriage wasn't swaying anymore, he figured that they had stopped a while ago. He mumbled some hasty nonsense to Izumi as he fished his cell phone out of his pants pocket. Quickly, he opened a new message to ask Tajima if he knew what was going on.

It didn't take long for Mizutani to receive a reply. Fumbling a bit, he opened the text and held his breath.

_**Tajima Yuuichirou:**__ 'the ride broke down! we get to watch the fireworks now! X)'_

"What does it say?"

Much to Mizutani's surprise, when he looked up from his phone, he found Izumi gazing at him with no visible sign of being shaken. The only indication that he was a little worse for wear was the slight tremble in his hands that were usually so steady. It took a great amount of self-control to stop himself from grabbing hold of those quivering hands and never letting go.

Although he was worried about how Izumi would react, Mizutani figured he had to tell his friend the news. It wasn't like he could keep it from him, now could he? "Tajima says the ride is broken, so we're kind of stuck here."

He watched carefully as Izumi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, still staring at Mizutani like his life depended on it. The stare was so intense that it caused Mizutani to blush; at least it was dark enough that it wouldn't be noticeable. Then the eye contact was broken, much to Mizutani's disappointment, as Izumi turned his attention to the window.

As soon as he caught sight of the ground below, the smaller boy froze. When he didn't turn away from it, Mizutani scooted over and peered out as well. They were really high up, unfortunately for Izumi. If Mizutani had to guess, they were the second or third car from the top of the wheel. Yes, the distance from the carriage to the ground was astounding, but Mizutani was more interested in how close he was to Izumi now. Their faces were inches apart and when he glanced over, Mizutani could see the terror and anxiety in Izumi's eyes.

A thundering boom shook the world and startled both boys. Colorful fireworks lit up the sky in a beautiful and deafening display. Mizutani didn't really know what he was doing or thinking anymore. All he knew was that they were really close with nowhere to go, and he had a not-so-normal attraction to his friend. So when Izumi muttered a breathless curse against the window, Mizutani tossed any logical thoughts from his mind and closed the distance.

**BOOM! POW!**

When their lips met, Izumi jumped so much that Mizutani half-expected him to punch him. Still, the taller boy didn't pull back, but he didn't push forward either. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt Izumi relax. A hand, less shaky now, snaked up and grabbed Mizutani's collar, pulling him forward and off his seat. The carriage swayed, but Izumi wasn't thinking about his surroundings anymore; not even the roar of the fireworks could distract him. In the brief moment when they broke their kiss, Izumi smiled devilishly at Mizutani who was now kneeling on the floor with both hands wrapped around the other's neck. Neither boy noticed when the ride began moving again.

The freckled boy leaned in closer and began placing kisses up Mizuani's neck. The latter closed his eyes and hummed happily until he felt the sudden sting of teeth that caused him to gasp. Izumi leaned back and grinned at him, all his fears forgotten and replaced with something new. He happened to glance out the window and quickly pulled Mizutani off the ground.

Before Mizutani could question him, the ride came to a stop and the worker unlatched the door. Without waiting for a silly gesture this time, Izumi climbed out first as the worker apologized for the mechanical issues. Mizutani scrambled out right after him and followed Izumi to the exit. He noticed that the center fielder was back to his normal, calm self again. It was kind of a shame. _'I wonder if I'll ever get to see that side of him again…'_

"Mizutani, if you don't walk faster, we're going to leave you," Izumi warned him without turning around. The ginger picked up his pace to walk between Izumi and Tajima who was practically clinging to Hanai. There were so many things Mizutani wanted, no needed, to ask Izumi. Were they "together" now? Did Izumi even really like him? Was Izumi straight? Mizutani sighed and realized that they would just have to talk later. Maybe he should give Izumi a proper confession?

Tajima turned his head toward Mizutani and asked, "How was your rid-." He cut-off his question with a low whistle and asked something different.

"Hey, Mizutani, is that a hickey?"


End file.
